Guwahati: A Royal Bengal Tiger that was rescued from Umananda Island in Guwahati last year and released in Nameri National Park in Assam’s Sonitpur district has allegedly been poached.
A wildlife expert claimed, the tiger skin, paws, and bones seized at Itakhola in Sonitpur district on July 8 are that of the Royal Bengal tiger, which was released in Nameri on December 25 last year.
“The seized tiger skin has a similarity to the tiger that was rescued and released in the Nameri National Park. The seized tiger skin was found to have a unique marking on its face, which is also the same marking that the rescued tiger had. This suggests that the seized tiger skin is likely from the same tiger that was rescued and released,” he claimed.
“The tiger skin was seized from Itakhola in Sonitpur district, which is close to Nameri National Park. This suggests that the tiger was killed in or near the park,” he added.
However, the forest department has not yet confirmed that the seized tiger skin is from the same tiger that was rescued and released.
Three persons were arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials with the tiger’s body parts near Itakhola. Of the three arrested, two are from Assam and one from Arunachal Pradesh.
